May is shaping up to be a big month for the British royals! Not only might the Duke and Duchess of Sussex be welcoming their royal baby and celebrating their first wedding anniversary, but there will be another new addition to the family, as Lady Gabriella Windsor marries her fiancé Tom Kingston.
As HELLO! previously revealed, the next royal wedding will take place on Saturday 18 May at St George’s Chapel, Windsor – almost a year to the day that Prince Harry and Meghan tied the knot at the same venue. The prestigious chapel will have played host to three royal weddings in the past year following Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s nuptials, however it has been said that Lady Gabriella’s wedding will be remarkably different to the previous two events.
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Tom Kingston will marry on 18 May
Hundreds of invitations are said to have been sent to close friends and Gabriella’s royal relatives for what is sure to be the society wedding of the year. Royal guests will include the bride’s parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, along with her brother Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman, and their daughters Isabella and Maud. The youngsters may well have a special role in Gabriella’s bridal party, following on from five-year-old Maud’s flower girl duties at her godmother Princess Eugenie’s wedding in October.
GALLERY: All you need to know about Lady Gabriella Windsor's royal wedding
Although Gabriella – or Ella as she is known to her close friends and family – has a close bond with her family, including second cousins Princes William and Harry, it is not yet known whether they will all be able to attend. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now based just a stone’s throw away from the wedding venue, but may well have their hands full once their royal baby is born.
The couple were both guests at Princess Eugenie's wedding in October
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, meanwhile, face a dilemma due to the wedding’s clash with the FA Cup Final. As president of the Football Association, William is expected to present the cup to the winning team at Wembley Stadium, and as he missed out on the 2018 event due to his brother Harry’s wedding, he may not want to miss out for a second year in a row.
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Gabriella and Tom’s nuptials will be held on a much smaller scale to the previous two royal weddings, and will not feature a carriage ride through Windsor. However, the press have been invited to take photos of the couple after the ceremony, and HELLO! understands that the Queen’s cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson – her party planner for more than 50 years – will organise the wedding breakfast. The countdown is on!
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